Fouad Adjami is a Muslim writer I trust. He always has great insights. But the problem with Islam is the later violent verses (Medina) overrule the earlier (Meccan) peaceful verses when there is any contradiction
For your edification:
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From Rags to Riches, From Preacher to Despot
By Ali Sina
There are many contradictory verses in the Quran that can be quite confusing. This ambiguity allows Muslims to have their personalized “divine guidance” based on their own preferences. Those who like tolerance or want to present Islam as a tolerant religion can quote parts of the Quran that advocates tolerance, while the hardliners, the fundamentalists and even the terrorists can quote those parts of the Quran that foments hate and killing of the disbelievers. Therefore ironically everyone can find what he is looking for in that book. And they call this the "miracle" of Quran!
Let us compare both sides of Quran:
http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina/preacher_to_despot.htm
There are many contradictory verses in the Quran that can be quite confusing. This ambiguity allows Muslims to have their personalized “divine guidance” based on their own preferences. Those who like tolerance or want to present Islam as a tolerant religion can quote parts of the Quran that advocates tolerance, while the hardliners, the fundamentalists and even the terrorists can quote those parts of the Quran that foments hate and killing of the disbelievers. Therefore ironically everyone can find what he is looking for in that book.
This has always been my position. What I'd like to see is support of those who don't support those take the hardline..xenophobic version of Islam.